Retribution
by joyrid3
Summary: Ulquiorra's thoughts on Orihime from the moment he met her. As a bonus, Loly and Menoly get what they deserve. UlquiHime


**N/A:** This deviates from the story at some point…And yes, I think Loly and Menoly still need to be punished :)

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Bleach…sadly.

**Retribution**

His first impression of her wasn't astounding. She seemed like a normal human woman, not to mention whiny, the type he hated most. Yes, back then he thought she was trash, like all other humans were trash. But his opinion was about to change just moments later. It wasn't her unusual powers that caused this, but rather…the look in her eyes. The way she stood up to him, even though she knew she had no chance of winning. The fact that she seemed to care less about her own life and more for the lives of others, mere trash in his opinion.

It didn't take him long to realize her apparent healing powers were much more than that. She had the unique ability to negate events…turn back time in other words. Yes, she was indeed a strange woman…

He never quite figured out how strange until Aizen-_sama_ gave him the order of bringing her to Hueco Mundo. He hand't been surprised, after all her powers could prove useful. There was a tiny spark of anticipation at the idea that she would be living in Las Noches and that he would be in charge of her. No mistake had to be made.

After careful observation, he had established a profile on her. Her weak spot materialized in the persona of her friends and he realized the perfect way to get her to come, willingly.

As expected, the plan worked and he came for her. He didn't particularly enjoy killing, but he did enjoy it when the two low-class _shinigami_ that were with her fell to the ground. He wanted to see her reaction, the emotion in those innocent eyes of hers, which overwhelmed all reason. This was the time to let her know who was in charge. His instructions were precise and simple. He didn't want to hear her whine or cry, because it would lessen his opinion of her. She complied, defeated and made no move to resist him.

As time passed in Las Noches, he saw how she abhorred the omnipresent violence inside the fortress. She isolated herself in her room, barely eating or drinking. The sight of other Arrancar provoked her fear and another feeling he couldn't quite place his finger on…but he had a hunch it was pity. Foolish woman…the only one she should pity was herself.

As the one in charge of her so called well being, he came to her chambers often. Every time he came in, her eyes lit up with hope, hope that he had news of her friends…hope that she would find someone to talk to in this God forsaken place.

He made sure all her hopes were shattered.

It was strange to Ulquiorra how he looked forward to visiting her…how he prepared his words before meeting her. It was almost as if he had some sort of connection to this woman and yet he enjoyed the suffering he caused her. A part of him realized he wanted to break all her bonds to the outside world, all the bonds she shared with her friends. She would never go back.

When Nnoitora insinuated his relationship with her was more than business related, he measured his fellow Espada from head to toe with despise.

_You'd do that if you were in my shoes, wouldn't you, Nnoitora?_

How little he knew of this woman…how narrow his vision was. She was certainly appealing, with those curves of hers and that childish, innocent face no other Arrancar woman had…But he couldn't see _only_ that. Her character, her mind…her soul…the soul they lacked, the soul that was so different from most humans. Her foolish, pitiful soul, which she would sacrifice for the sake of others without second thought. He had yet to understand her.

One day, he decided to push further. He entered her room and brought her the news of her friends that she terribly longed for. Except it wasn't the news she wanted to hear.

_They're not dead…_she told him in a trembling voice.

Damnit, how could her hope still burn at a time like this? He let out all the information that hurt her the most. Fools who would break into Las Noches, without having the proper strength, deserved to die.

Then she did something he never would have expected. Her eyes narrowed and she ran towards him. His own eyes widened, wondering what she planned to do. Then her small hand slapped his cheek with all the power she could muster. He barely felt it, but it was the anger in her eyes that made an impression on him. She was panting and he wondered if she had ever slapped anyone in her life. He certainly hadn't been slapped before and he had killed people for much less than that. But this time, he just turned around and left, mentioning that he'd shove that food down her throat if she didn't eat it in an hour.

Back in his own chambers, Ulquiorra replayed the scene over and over again in his mind. She had courage, this woman. Foolish, unfounded…but courage nonetheless. Her features contorted in anger, like he'd never seen before lingered before his eyes.

_Beautiful._

Yes, she was truly beautiful.

When he found out that Kurosaki Ichigo had progressed fairly into Las Noches, he had to take care of him himself. The man who Orihime seemed to treasure so, even with all her attempts at hiding it…Yes, it was only proper that Kurosaki Ichigo died by his hand.

The fight was rather disappointing…he hoped this enemy would prove to be worth his time…and her affection.

Ulquiorra wanted to see her now. He wanted to tell her what he had done…so she could give up any hope or desire to ever go back. So she could at least hate him, rather than feel nothing for him. But upon getting closer to her room, he found the wall was smashed.

He stepped inside to find two female Arrancar, whom he pretty much disliked: Loly and Menoly.

"What happened here?"

They both looked up at him and he saw a mix of fear, hate and despair written all over their faces.

"Grimmjow." they replied.

It was enough. One word was enough and he was about to disappear from their sight and get her back. Grimmjow had been pushing his luck lately and no one quite knew where his allegiance lied.

The look on their faces stopped him. Both of them were avoiding eye contact, it was obvious they were hiding something.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked, his tone calm but firm.

Menoly seemed reluctant to answer, but the fiery Loly turned angry eyes towards Ulquiorra.

"We came here to punish that little bitch!"

"Loly!" Menoly warned, her eyes widening. _At least this one knows her place_.

"That's right! And if Grimmjow didn't show, I would have made sure she never shows her ugly face in front of Aizen-sama ever again!" Loly cried.

Her infatuation for Aizen had made her lose her mind. She didn't even realize who she was telling this to.

"Ulquiorra, she's…troubled, we…wouldn't have gone that far…" Menoly stepped in.

"Oh…" he replied in a seemingly indifferent tone. "How far did you go?"

This time Loly grinned with malice.

"We made her face just ugly enough so no one would like her anymore."

"Is that what you did?" he asked, his tone calmer than ever.

Menoly's eyes widened in fear.

"You two are unharmed…and knowing Grimmjow's temper…I'd have to assume she healed you." he thought aloud.

"No one asked her to! She's a freak!" Loly yelled, her features contorted with anger.

Ulquiorra's cold green eyes pierced into the female Arrancar's. He felt anger too, anger that these insignificant beings dared to hurt _her, _anger that he wasn't fulfilling his own duty and moreover, anger that Grimmjow had gotten here before he did and taken her somewhere.

"Aizen-_sama_ ordered that the woman remain untouched." he told them, voice as cold as ice.

Menoly backed away a step as Loly's eyes narrowed.

"That worthless little human isn't fit to lick Aizen-_sama_'s boots!" she spat.

Ignoring her, Ulquiorra raised his finger.

"You'll find…that she's worth more than you two ever dreamed. And don't worry. There won't be any bodies to heal this time."

The last thing he saw, before he unleashed his Cero, was their expression, mouth slightly open and eyes widened with fear. They were completely obliterated.

The next thing he had to do was to retrieve Orihime.

**A/N:** If I'll continue this, it'll turn into a UlquiHime multi-chapter story, which won't necessarily be based on the actual storyline. I'm not sure yet, though.

Reviews are loved!


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